


Honey Bread

by ShadowoftheLamp



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Character Analysis, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 20:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19483729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowoftheLamp/pseuds/ShadowoftheLamp
Summary: After being brought back to a body of his own, things change, and he works out what he likes for himself.





	Honey Bread

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I've got a bit of a fixation on post-canon deathship, especially on Ymalik learning to be a person. Sue me. Also just sort of... assume soft (chubby) Ryou until proven otherwise at this point because it's my fic and I choose the post-canon.

Existing as himself was an oddity- there was so much  _ time. _ He quickly learned he liked food- Malik had had either the same gritty meals in the tombs or whatever the chef he’d brainwashed cooked when he led the Ghouls, and he didn’t much like either. Sure, plenty of vegetarian dishes had flavors he’d liked, but the second Ryou had set down a cheeseburger in front of him, he’d never even considered staying away from meat.

This was his temple, and the offerings to it were going to be whatever he damn well pleased.

He liked salt-greasy and sweet things, especially. Sour candies were good, but better after the salt had been sucked off them and they just tasted like watermelon or apple. Ryou always seemed to get flustered when he lingered over the taste on his fingertips when ice cream dripped down, licking the trailing drops. If he was violating some important social norm, he didn’t care and Ryou didn’t correct him. He wanted to get every bit. Deep down, he knew Malik would have squirmed at the saliva on his fingers, but it just made his stomach warm and his brain hum.

He’d reformed identical to Malik. His hair was impossible to tame, but it wasn’t how it had been before, tainted by shadow magic- now, it just refused to be combed, and more days than not he simply pulled it back. Malik had rarely done that, so it was good enough, different enough. He painted his eyes with eyeshadow instead of kohl, wore a small collar of silver that had a golden skull charm at the end because he thought it was funny, and was his own person. Or at least, he was learning how to get there.

He liked things that were all his own. He liked tumbling Ryou’s dice between his fingers and constantly rolled the fidget ring Ryou had offered until Ryou bought him one of his own. He liked the feel of soft blankets and soft bathrobes, and also the texture of the cheese grater. He liked the feeling of Ryou’s body against his own. He’d slept on the couch for the first week and a half, but then they’d gotten drunk and snuggled together and he never wanted to go back to being alone when he could fall asleep next to a warm, soft body.

He enjoyed walking around the block, and then the city. He borrowed Ryou’s headphones when he wanted to be left alone as he walked and snarled at anyone who bumped into him, and locals gave him his space. Some days, he left them around his neck as he listened to the birds and the flashes of conversation. 

He always took a handful of crumpled bills with him, often buying street vendor’s food. Ryou always seemed to like it when he brought candied fruit home, and he kept the takoyaki balls for himself- they would have cooled down by the time he made it back. Whenever a new stand opened up, he had to try it at least once- you never knew, after all. The woman at the crepe stand was the first person he liked genuinely talking to besides Ryou, mostly because she laughed at his jokes. That, and her sweets were always delicious. 

One night, while he was learning to make bread from Ryou, Ryou bumped his hip with a smile, and he felt something odd. He wore looser clothing than Malik had, preferring to let the scars air without risking them being seen by anyone. He tugged his shirt up to look, spotting flour against his skin and the fabric to see that the firm, toned stomach he’d had before had softened.

“Huh. That’s new.” He prodded, feeling his finger squish a bit.

“I’m not sure if it’s because you’re eating more now or because you just didn’t have enough before,” Ryou said. “Are you okay with it?”

“Mm. I didn’t care about the abs much- it was part of Malik’s need for control. As long as the body works.” 

“Your body.” 

“My body.” He amended, and Ryou tapped his belly button with a powdered white finger, leaving a snowy imprint.

“Well, as long as you like your walks and we eat okay most of the time, I say it’ll be fine,” Ryou said. “Did you want anything special in the bread?”

“Can we add honey?” 

Ryou grinned. “Of course.”

After they finished, he learned bread with honey was delicious, and he liked knowing that he’d made something good.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are, as always, very appreciated!


End file.
